FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
January 14, 2010

CONTACT: Aaron Keyak
office: 202-225-5061
cell: 202-905-6361
email: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it  

(Washington, DC) – Congressman Steve Rothman (D-NJ) released the following statement in response to the earthquake that struck Haiti:

The Haitian people have suffered a terrible disaster in the 7.0 magnitude earthquake that hit Haiti on Tuesday.  This is an unspeakable human tragedy, and the horrific images of bodies lining the streets and complete destruction are absolutely shocking.

Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere does not have sufficient resources to face this devastating event and we must do all we can to help. To help family members affected by this tragedy, my offices in New Jersey and Washington, D.C. are available to help in any way we can at (201) 646-0808 and (202) 225-5061 respectively.

I would encourage any of my constituents who wish to help the Haitian people to recover from this devastating natural catastrophe to contribute to the relief efforts. For further information about how you can help you can visit http://www.whitehouse.gov.   

On behalf of myself, my family, and all of the people in New Jersey’s Ninth District, our thoughts and prayers go out to the Haitian people and the Haitian American community.

U.S. Citizen Inquiries

The U.S. Embassy in Port Au Prince has set up a task force at the Embassy which is taking calls as conditions permit.  The Embassy is working to identify U.S. citizens in Haiti who need urgent assistance and to identify sources of emergency help.  

U.S. citizens in Haiti are urged to contact the Embassy via email at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it to request assistance.  U.S. citizens in Haiti can call the Embassy’s Consular Task Force at 509-2229-8942, 509-2229-8089, 509-2229-8322, or 509-2229-8672.  The State Department has also created a task force to monitor the emergency.  People in the U.S. or Canada with information or inquiries about U.S. citizens in Haiti may reach the Haiti Task Force at 888-407-4747 or at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it    Outside of the U.S. and Canada, call 202-501-4444.  For further information and updates, please visit the State Department’s Consular Affairs website at http://www.travel.state.gov/

Haitian Citizens in the U.S.

Haitian citizens in the U.S. should call the Haitian Embassy in Washington, D.C., 202-332-4090, or the Haitian Consulate in New York City, 305-859-2003.

Contributions/Donations

U.S. citizens who wish to contribute to the relief effort for Haiti after the earthquake, either online or by text message, can visit http://www.whitehouse.gov . 

Volunteer Opportunities

Persons who wish to provide assistance or expertise in Haiti are asked to contact the Center for International Disaster Information.  The Center, operated under a grant from the United States Agency for International Development's Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance, has established a dedicated page to coordinate Haiti support at:  http://www.cidi.org/incident/haiti-10a/ .

For updated travel alert information, please visit: http://www.travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1134.html.

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